Sanford’s mayor says he’s considering merging Sanford Police and the Sanford Fire Department with Seminole County. He says it’s something city leaders must consider thanks to an expected budget shortfall.  

  • Sanford looking at merging police, fire with Seminole County
  • Sanford mayor fears 2018 homestead amendment will lead to less revenue
  • Will get public input before making a decision 

“Now is the time for us to look at these different options, and they’re hard decisions,” said Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett.

The state legislature approved an amendment to the Homestead Exemption Act, which could lead to a major decrease in what Florida homeowners pay in property taxes.

It will be up to voters to approve the change when the go to the ballot in November 2018.  If approved, the change could increase the amount homeowners can exempt from their property tax assessment.

Triplett says if approved, the change could mean his city would get about $700,000 less in revenue per year, money he says they need to operate the fire and police departments. 

Triplett says the two agencies are already costing the city about $5 million more each year than what the city has budgeted for them.

“Is it worth it, because these are the decisions we’re having to make now in advance of that coming down?” said Triplett. “And it’s our responsibility to make sure it doesn’t sneak up on us, and all of a sudden we’re trying to put out that fire at that time for that budget.”

Sanford city leaders are now asking city administration to crunch the numbers so they can see how much money a merger of police and fire services would save them.

“It’s very, very preliminary, but for us to make any decisions we really need to see -- is it a $10 million savings or is it a $100 savings? I don’t know the answer to that and I can’t make any decisions until I know any numbers,” said Triplett.

We asked Mayor Triplett what a merger would mean for Sanford police officers and firefighters.

“We’ve got great men and women, and I’ve always said we’ll take care of the people that have stood by us through the hard times and in the good times,” said Triplett.

The mayor says the city would find out what Sanford residents think about any possible changes to the city’s fire and police services before making any final decisions. He says it could be a year or more before the city decides what to do.

The cities of Casselberry, Winter Springs and Altamonte Springs already have merged fire services with the Seminole County Fire Department.  If Sanford merges both fire and police services with the county, it would be the first major Seminole County city to not have its own police department.